A number of texts describe the database and they can be reached by entering dsc which will display a menu. A shorter way is to enter directly doc or help.
Most of these texts are still in french. Thus, they have to be translated, and also improved to give better information. The texts may be revised to take into account your experience and the problems you may face.
A hypertext description of the database and commands is being developed. The front page of the database is displayed with the command xhelp bda. The user's guide is also accesible in hypertext form from the front page.
If the command xhelp does not work correctly, check the way NCSA mosaic is called. Move to the directory bda/bin and edit the file xhelp.